The Packers-Bears game has a lot riding on it. Here's what to know if you're going to the game
GREEN BAY – Green Bay's reputation as a great place for visiting fans to watch football will be tested on Sunday, when the Packers play the Chicago Bears for the opportunity to get into the NFL playoffs.
"The Bears Still Suck" chants will be frequent and loud. Trash talking will be frequent and loud. Bears fans will be frequent and loud.
This is, after all, the most historic rivalry in the NFL, but for the past 30 years, the Packers have dominated the Bears. As the Packers rolled up a 49-15 record, the Bears have rarely held up their end, but that could change Sunday and in the coming years. Both teams are showing signs of progress this season.
If the Packers win, they are in the playoffs. And while the Bears have nothing to lose, playoff-wise, this game has significance for them. If they defeat the Packers, they will finish 8-9, tied with the Packers and the Vikings, and will be considerably improved over last season's 3-14 finish. So there might be more of an edge to how much the fans tolerate one another.
Bears games have been among the least well-behaved in recent years at Lambeau Field. There were two arrests and 12 ejections at Lambeau Field during last season's game, the most ejections for the year. In 2021, there were nine arrests and 17 ejections, both tops for the season, and in 2019 it was five arrests and 31 ejections, the latter of which was a season high.
But there is also this: When the Minnesota Vikings played at Lambeau Field in October, some Vikings fans — who Packers fans purport to dislike, in the abstract at least — were effusive about how well they were treated.
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"We just wanted to come over and do the whole experience. It’s awesome. It’s so much fun," said Mike Ely, a Vikings fan from Elysian, Minnesota. He said a Green Bay bartender even bought him drinks.
Ely's thoughts about visiting Lambeau Field were echoed by other Vikings fans that day.
Either way, Sunday's game might provide a glimpse of what the next few years will be like in this rivalry.
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This is not January weather
The National Weather Service forecast calls for a high of 35 degrees on Sunday. The tundra won't be frozen. It'll be barely chilly.
Parking prices range from $15 to $60
Parking in the Lambeau Field lots is $50 this season, a $10 increase from last year. That mostly affects season ticket holders because few spaces remain for non-season ticket holders.
Parking in surrounding yards and business lots ranges from $15 to $60, depending on proximity to the stadium. The $15 lots can be about a half-mile from Lambeau. Yard and business-lot parking often requires cash.
Lambeau Field parking lots open four hours before game time. Sunday's game will kick off at 3:25 p.m.
Green Bay Metro provides free shuttle service
Green Bay Metro offers four free shuttle routes, with buses leaving to and from Lambeau on the half-hour from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from the end of the game until 8 p.m. Routes to Lambeau Field run from Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, downtown Green Bay, the far east side and points in between.
Lambeau Field is 4.4 miles from the airport and 3.4 miles from downtown Green Bay.
Tailgating allowed in Lambeau parking lots
Tailgating is allowed anywhere in the Lambeau Field parking lots, and in a number of private lots surrounding the stadium. The center of the tailgating universe at Lambeau Field is in Lot 1 on the east side of the stadium, near the Oneida Nation Gate.
Lambeau Field ranked as the best place to watch football
USA Today ranked Lambeau Field as the best stadium in the NFL.
"Lambeau Field remains every bit the old school experience you want it to be, rising from the suburban grid of Green Bay to welcome NFL pilgrims to its hallowed grounds. Between the history of the Hall of Fame and the frigid aluminum bench seats that freeze your Leinenkugel’s in the can each December, it’s perfect roughneck football. Go Pack Go," wrote reporter Christian D’Andrea.
Lambeau Field is cashless. Everywhere.
Restaurants, ticket office, Hall of Fame, concession stands, seat rentals and parking lots — if the Packers run it, credit cards and digital pay are the only options.
As previously mentioned, there is no available last-minute stadium parking, but if there was, that would be cashless, too. A reminder, though, that if you are parking in the yards or lots not operated by the Packers, your cash will be accepted and, in most cases, required.
How to watch or listen to the Packers-Bears game
On television, the game will be broadcast on CBS, which means Jim Nantz on the play-by-play and Tony Romo providing analysis.
Fans can listen to the game on the Packers radio network, whose flagship station is WRNW-FM, 97.3, in Milwaukee. In Green Bay, WIXX-FM, 101.1, carries the game. Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren will call the game.
What's the Lambeau Field carry-in policy?
The Packers' carry-in policy limits items that can be brought into the stadium and how they can be carried.
On the no-go list are bags, backpacks, coolers, strollers, umbrellas, duffel bags, large purses, noisemakers of any kind, fanny packs, food and beverages, selfie sticks, video cameras and still photo cameras with lenses over 12 inches.
What is allowed are clear bags not exceeding 12-by-6-by-12 inches or a 1-gallon, clear plastic bag, additional clothing, blankets, small clutch purses the size of a woman's hand, small cameras, binoculars and cellphones if carried loosely or in an approved clear bag.
The Green Bay Police Department offered this information: "Officers are continually turning away prohibited bags and items at the gate that will slow the lines down and cause fans to return (items) to their vehicles or discard the prohibited items."
Population comparison
Green Bay is the smallest market in the NFL, with a metro area population of 321,591, compared to Chicago's 9.5 million.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers-Bears game at Lambeau Field: Here's what to know if you go